As I was habitually trawling through my Gmail account this morning I noticed something new that drew my eye in the top right hand corner. It was a link to Google’s new Gmail Priority Inbox functionality (beta).

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I told you that 2010 was going to be a vintage year for mobile devices! Check out Sony Ericsson’s latest Android device to hit Australian shores – the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini.

As the name suggests, it is the smaller version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. It weighs only 88grams and is almost the size of a credit card. Don’t worry about Android 1.6 OS currently running on it as Sony Ericsson have confirmed that it will be updated to at least Android 2.1 in Q4 this year (let’s hope they jump straight to 2.2!).

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Google has just announced the sweet delicious details of it’s latest version of its mobile operating system, Android 2.2 codenamed “Froyo”.

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So you’ve got a new Android phone and find that there aren’t any good default games that come with it. You need to download and install Meteor Brick Breaker!

Download Meteor Brick Breaker – Games Android Apps.

In Meteor Brick Breaker [Android Game] you have to destroy bricks, saving your meteor from enemy missiles and getting as much power-ups as possible. Easy enough to start off with but will keep you entertained for many many hours.

Features of Meteor Brick Breaker [Android Game App]:

• 120 levels
• over 60 types of destructible and non-destructible blocks
• enemy robots fighting against you
• various power-ups and a few power-downs
• various meteors (balls) – a fireball, a plasma ball and a usual ball
• various weapons – bullets, missiles, supermissiles
• awesome space-themed graphics
• rich sound effects with voiced power-ups

Download Meteor Brick Breaker – Games Android Apps.

I’ve completed 85.6% of my packing for my Seoul trip tomorrow. For those who don’t know, I’ll be attending the LG Blogger Forum where 35 other international power bloggers from around the world will be gathering to talk about the LG GW620 and to have a workshop where we’ll provide concepts that make up our dream phone

I just realised that I haven’t written a review on the LG GW620 despite making a YouTube Video a couple of days ago. So below are some of my honest thoughts on what I liked about the phone and how it can be improved.

What I liked about the LG EV / GW620:

• Compact size: Even though the screen is smaller than the iPhone (which I am currently using) I liked the size of the phone. It seems to fit better in my hand and therefore I feel more like it’s in my grip – less chance of accidentally
• QWERTY Keyboard: I’m fairly confident that people who didn’t know that the GW620 came with a physical keyboard would be surprised it did due to its slimness. The keys are of a decent size and I like how LG have incorporated up, down, left and right arrow keys. Takes a little getting used to but once you know where everything is, I believe one can type faster than via a touch screen
• Android OS: Although the phone I got was running version 1.5, I had a personal glimpse of what has attracted so many people to the Android platform. Menu and interface are intuitive and despite having a slower processor than many of the newer Androids was still reasonably fast. Having everything like calendar, email and maps all Google isn’t bad either
• 3.5mm Stereo Audio Port: For obvious reasons such as I can use my favorite Sennheiser headphones with the GW620
• MicroSD Expansion Slot: the LG GW620 can accommodate up to a 32GB MicroSD memory card which means you’ll be able to load heaps and heaps of your favorite photos, music and files
• SNS Manager: Being able to get a unified view of your Facebook, Twitter and Bebo (who uses Bebo?) is the way that things should be. Incorporating social media accounts with address book contacts also makes a lot of sense
• 5 Megapixel Camera with LED Flash: Takes decent photos and with the LED flash lowlight conditions are no longer a no-no.

What Can Be Improved on the LG Eve / GW620:

• Latest Android OS: My Eve came with Android 1.5 and the current version is 2.1. The latest version has incorporated many bug fixes as well as some nifty functionality like speech-to-text and living wallpapers!
• Get Rid Of Resistive Screen: Screen seems much less responsive than the iPhone’s. I also don’t see the need for that physical feedback. One only has to look at the iPhone to see how little that means to users. Surely it also places unnecessary burden on the battery too
• Faster Processor: How about a 1Ghz Snapdragon?
• Even More Slimmer: If LG could make the device even more thinner with the keyboard I think it would appeal to more people
• Multi-touch Screen: It will allow users to do tasks on the LG GW620 more naturally using multi-touch gestures. I found it a eye-opening experience going from my iMate 8502 Windows Mobile device to the iPhone interface
• More Powerful Battery: Although it comes with a 1500mAh, bumping this up higher and giving users more talk-time, surf-time and play time will definitely keep them smiling longer
• Front Side Video Camera: To allow users to take video logs since it seems to be the way things are going

Again these are my own personal points of what I liked and what can be improved on the LG Eve / GW620. If you have any other ones that you feel should be included please let us know via the comments below.

Even before I saw this article, I had painstakingly started putting an MS Excel spreadsheet together comparing the specifications of the Motorola Droid, iPhone and LG Eve. I think that the guys at BillShrink have done a much more better job in presenting this data, than my boring spreadsheet!

By reviewing the table, we see how aggressive Google has been in attempting to dominate the ever growing smartphone market. Pricing for the Nexus One is one area in particular that they have put considerable focus on.

Competition is always healthy and I think the iPhone is starting to get some in the form of the Nexus One. However I have a feeling that Apple will again leap further away with the impending release of the next iPhone…

Via BillShrink

I’ve been having some internet issues at home so it took a while to finally upload my video of the LG Eve (aka LG GW620) Android Phone.

In this video, you’ll see me talk about some of the highlights of LG’s first Android phone and what’s inside the box. I’ll do a full write-up in the next couple of days – just wanted to give you a glimpse of what I’ll be talking about. This very phone will be one of the main points of discussion at LG headquarters in Seoul next week, so if you have any ideas on how to improve the phone or what you liked about it, I’m very keen to pass your feedback on.

Can you please help me by rating and leaving a comment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Andf7anj198) on what you thought about the phone?

You may be seeing the words “Nexus One” appear all over your RSS feeds and favorite websites. If you don’t know what it is, it is Google’s first official smartphone. Yes, there have been other phones from manufacturers such as LG, Motorola and HTC that run their Android operating system, but this is the first device that will be sold directly from Google itself via its Nexus One online portal.

The device was officially announced in California yesterday at an invitation-only event (Yes I am sad I didn’t get an invite). Google have dubbed it a “superphone” as it comprises of all the latest in mobile phone technology such as superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5MP flash camera, voice-to-text typing, GPS, huge 3.7 inch screen and full wireless capabilities.

Pricing is US$530 unlocked or US$180 on 2 year contract with T-Mobile. Unfortunately, it says that the phone is not available in Australia yet

Google seemed wary to call it the “iPhone killer”. I think this is wise considering how quickly the Apple iPhone market has grown. Personally, I think it’s a step closer but other smartphone manufacturers are still 2-3 years away from truly taking over.

Here are all the juicy specifications of the Nexus One (ref: NextWeb)

Nexus One Specifications & Features:

Size & Weight:

Height: 119mm
Width: 59.8mm
Depth: 11.5mm
Weight: 130 grams with battery, 100g without battery

Display:
3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
800 x 480 pixels
100,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1ms typical response rate

Camera and Flash:
5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver
Video captured at 720×480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions

Cellular and Wireless:
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth

Power and Battery:
Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger
Talk time:
Up to 10 hours on 2G
Up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time:
Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use:
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback:
Up to 7 hours
Audio playback:
Up to 20 hours

Processor:
Qualcomm QSD 8250 running at 1 GHz

Operating System:
Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1

Capacity:
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)

Location:
Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass, Accelerometer

Additional Features:
Haptic feedback
Teflon™ coated back
Second microphone for active noise cancellation
SIM card slot
Micro SD slot
Proximity sensor
Light sensor

Pre-Loaded Applications:
Maps, Gallery, YouTube, Market, Phone, Gmail, Browser, Voice, integrated Google suite, Navigation, and others. No full official list available at this time.

File Formats Supported:
Image: JPEG (encode and decode), GIF, PNG, BMP
Video: H.263 (encode and decode) MPEG-4 SP (encode and decode) H.264 AVC (decode)
Audio encoders: AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz
Audio decoders: AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+) Mono/Stereo standard bit rates up to 160 kbps and sampling rates from 8 to 48kHz, AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz, AMR-WB 9 rates from 6.60 kbit/s to 23.85 kbit/s sampled @ 16kHz., MP3 Mono/Stereo 8-320Kbps constant (CBR) or variable bit-rate (VBR), MIDI SMF (Type 0 and 1), DLS Version 1 and 2, XMF/Mobile XMF, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, iMelody, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE (8-bit and 16-bit PCM)

Languages Supported:
Keyboard: English (U.S), French (France), German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil)
Display: English (U.S), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Japanese, Russian,

I have always wanted to visit Seoul and Korea in general. Ever since watching the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games which showcased the beauty of the city and more recently my brother marrying a lovely korean lady, it’s been on my top 10 places to visit.

This month I will get my chance!

Two weeks ago I received an email from LG Electronics, asking if I would like to participate in the LG Blogger Forum in Seoul to talk about LG’s first Android phone, the LG Eve (aka GW620) and more. I replied fairly quickly indicating my keen interest.

The dates of the forum are the 14th – 17th of January. I’ve had a look at the schedule and it’s pretty jam-packed from the minute we touch down. For example, I like how they have a “Singing Together Party” that kicks off at 10:30pm and goes till Midnight then we’re expected to have breakfast at 7:00am! Fortunately I’m an early riser anyway. I’m already anticipating zombie like behavior at that breakfast.

As far as I know there were three invited from Australia to join other prominent international bloggers. The other cool Aussie gadget guys are from famous sites like Gizmodo.com.au and Gizmag.com – two sites that I check out frequently because they push out so much content on the latest and greatest. I feel honored to be in their company.

Reviewing the LG Eve / LG GW620

Part of the duties including receiving an LG Eve / LG GW620 for review before the event. I’m doing an unboxing video and also researching  all the other Android phones on the market so I get a good feel of where this LG Android sits in the scheme of things.

You’ll see a couple of Android comparison posts going up that will also serve as a memory aide as I begin to be more intimate with all things Android. (I must admit I’ve been very “iPhone” for the last couple of months).

Our Mission at the LG International Blogger Forum

So I thought I’d warn you about the ensuing LG posts to follow in the next couple of days. All in the name of fulfilling our given mission which is:

• Get to know more about LG
• Get to know more about Seoul
• Blog about both of these
• Share our experiences with the LG Eve / LG GW620 with the LG Team
• Design a concept Android phone and share it with the LG Team

Wonder if I do a good enough job if they’ll offer me a position in their R&D deparment…enough dreaming.

So there you have it. Thank you to LG Electronics for letting me participate and I look forward to exploring more of the LG gadget range. Another wish: Please have a LG Phone Watch prepared for me!

Life’s Good!

Bored at home after completing your new goals for 2010? Why not take a timeout and install Solitaire on your Android phone?

Softick Solitaires Arena is a set of the 20 famous card games, especially designed and optimized for Android, unlike many other ported Java games. It introduces large readable cards to be precisely hit by human fingers.

Feel the difference! Softick has worked hard to give you hours of exciting card playing time. Softick Solitaires Arena is smart enough to catch the meaning of every your gesture, helping you to focus on the game and not on the control.

The Rumor About Solitaire

There is a rumor that the Solitaire game was initially included in the early versions of the Microsoft Windows® operating system to help users to practice with mouse. This game has became very popular and was ported to almost every platform in the world.

Features of Softick Solitaires Arena (Android):

• Large and eye-friendly card set, optimized for fingers and long play
• 20 card games: Klondike, Free Cell, Spiderette, Spider Web, Pyramid, Russian Cell, Yukon, All in a Row, Busy Aces, Cheops, Doublets, East Haven, Fifteen Puzzle, Gladiator, Pyramid Golf, Queenie, Selective Castle, Stonewall, Strategy, Two Ways
• Additional Vegas game in Klondike
• Intuitive cards dragging system
• Optional timed game, scoring and statistics
• Unlimited undo
• Automatic cards turnover and other helpful time-saving assistance
• Customizable table background and cards back
• Saves your game on exit, power loss, incoming call or SMS

Minimum Requirements of Softick Solitaires Arena (Android):

• Android G1 or compatible (version 1.5 and higher) Landscape touch screen

Android Solitaires Arena (all games) Download Page